Marketing & Administrative Coordinator 21-30 hours per week Pictou County, Nova Scotia Farmers’ Markets of Nova Scotia Cooperative is seeking a Marketing & Administrative Coordinator to assist the Executive Director in carrying out the mission of the Cooperative. We are looking for a mature individual who is skilled in marketing and content creation as well as office management, is self-motivated and enthusiastic about farmers’ markets. The position is a one year term, with intent to extend. BACKGROUND The Farmers’ Markets of Nova Scotia Cooperative (FMNS) aims to build the capacity of farmers’ markets and their member businesses through professional development, innovation, research, province wide marketing, and advocacy. Since 2004, FMNS has been working on behalf of farmers’ markets and their vendors, producers and artisans. Created by markets for markets, we serve the needs of our member markets and their vendors while also acting to inform, inspire, and advocate for the farmers’ markets movement to the Nova Scotian public. POSITION The primary responsibilities of this position are: ADMINISTRATIVE Bookkeeping – bookkeeping and payroll, accounts receivable and accounts payable using Simply Accounting; Event Planning – scheduling and logistics of workshops, trainings, professional development and networking events for our members; Grant Writing & Reporting Office Duties – primary email communication – annual paperwork such as member renewals, Coop registration, etc. – file maintenance – website management Sale of Our Merchandize, E-Trainings and Resources – sales strategy and goals – expand opportunities for sales – ordering and managing of stock – record keeping on sales MARKETING Marketing & Social Media Management – on-going management of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts including content...

Coffee/tea and morning snack upon arrival provided by the Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market 9:30AM Welcome, Announcements & Introductions/Meet Your Neighbour 10:15AM Official Meeting of the Cooperative: 10:15 Approval of the Agenda – any other business to add? 10:25 President’s Report, Ashley Marlin 10:45 Executive Director’s Report, Keltie Butler 11:15 Financial Report, Vice President Wayne Edgar 11:45 Nominations to the Board & Introductions 12PM Vote to Elect Board Members All Other Business and close of official meeting of the Cooperative. 12:15PM lunch, suggested contribution of $10pp 1PM Forming A Partnership With Your Municipality – Geralyn MacDonald, Director of Community Economic Development, Town of New Glasgow Q&A followed by table discussions 2:15PM afternoon break with coffee/tea and snacks thanks to the Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market 2:30PM How To Know If Your Social Media Is Working – Gillian Wesley, Farmers’ Markets of Nova Scotia Cooperative Social Media Specialist Q&A 3:15PM Tour of the Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market 4-5PM NETWORKING EVENT. Special Guests to include: Karen Wong-Petrie, Director, NS Dept of Environment (Food Safety) Kim White, Director of Workplace Education, NS Dept of Labour & Advanced Education Deputy Minister Murray Coolican, NS Dept of Business Sheila Stevenson, Director of Slow Food Nova Scotia Linda Best, Founder of FarmWorks Investment Cooperative Emily Haynes, Executive Director of Taste of Nova Scotia All member markets are asked to attend and vendors are also welcome. There is no cost to attend however you must RSVP to our office by Thursday, April 27th. A locally sourced lunch will be provided with a suggested donation of $10. Partners are welcome to join us for the networking hour, 4-5PM. Again,...

April 7th, 2017 RE: Safe Food for Canadians Act The Farmers’ Markets of Nova Scotia Cooperative is directly composed of more than 20 member farmers’ markets across the province and works with an additional 40+ farmers’ markets across Atlantic Canada. Across Canada, the Farmers’ Market Sector continues to grow. In Nova Scotia, we saw three-fold growth in the sector from 2004 to 2014. Nova Scotia is currently home to the highest number of farmers’ market per capita in Canada and boasts more than 1500 farmers’ market-based businesses. According to research recently conducted by the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture, new entrant farmers – defined as those in their first five years of operation – overwhelming use direct marketing to sell their product and build their business including farmers’ markets and CSAs (Barriers to Growth). According to Stats Canada (2011), Nova Scotia was the only province in Canada to show an increase in the number of farms since 2006. The producers based in our Farmers’ Market Sector are (1) new entrants and start-up operations, (2) businesses in a stage of growth and incubation and (3) farms which are focused long-term on direct to consumer sales. Many of these producers also sell into other eastern Canadian provinces, particularly the Maritime provinces. Given this, we write to submit our concerns and recommendations regarding the Safe Foods for Canadians Act Regulations. Specifically, To date, whole fruits and vegetables have been outside of interprovincial trade regulations, as they have been understood to be low risk and unprocessed. They Safe Food for Canadians Act Regulations, as it has been drafted, is a sharp departure as...

Dear Farmers’ Market Members: Farmers’ Markets Nova Scotia Cooperative (FMNS) is directed by a dedicated group of volunteers drawn from member markets and supporters of the farmers’ market movement. Each year one or two positions become available as the terms of current board members come to an end. My three year term ends this May creating a vacancy for a new member. It has been a privilege and a pleasure to be involved with our board. I am writing to you to encourage you to consider serving on the FMNS board of directors or to nominate someone from your market or community. I have really enjoyed my time working with other board members from all over Nova Scotia and our Executive Director, Keltie Butler. The work of our board is very important to the health and development of the farmers’ market sector. The board of course is responsible for the overall direction of FMNS, ensures that the needs of member markets and vendors are represented on a provincial level, oversees the work of our executive director and monitors the cooperative’s finances. The board meets by telephone once a month, and twice a year for a face to face gathering. Occasional tasks are assumed by board members as needed. The responsibilities are clear as is the time commitment which is not onerous. Again, I encourage you to consider serving on our board of directors. It provides an opportunity to get a bird’s eye of the farmers’ market sector and meet some great people who are passionate about local communities and local business. Please contact Keltie or me if you would...

Managers! Mobilizers! Friends and Colleagues! Lucky us. The Farmers’ Markets of Nova Scotia Cooperative is running a “travelling road show” version of our Market Manager-Leader-Staff professional development series in 2017. What that means is that we can move our program around the province, offering a monthly networking and professional development day in various market locations or towns. We will meet 6 times in 2017. We will do a training/workshop in the mornings, and work on some projects together in the afternoons. We will cluster the work groups in small, medium, and large-sized market groups, so you are working with colleagues from similarly-sized markets. The benefit is that more of you should be able to participate because, at least once, we’ll be meeting in a location very close to home. (In fact, we are hoping several of you will host a day at your market!) We hope this helps you say YES to being part of the program this year. Here is our tentative schedule, 6 sessions in total: Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market – May 30 Antigonish – June 27 Hubbards Farmers’ Market – Oct 31 Wolfville Farmers’ Market – Nov 28 Truro Farmers’ Market – Jan 2018 My office, Berwick, Kings County – Feb 2018 Of course, this is free to attend if your market is a member of the FMNS Cooperative, there is just a $30 supply fee required from each participant. Based on the immense success of the 2016 Manager PD and Networking Program, we want a way for more of us to get together from various regions across the province in 2017. Please help us...

Photos: Wonkyeye Photography Nova Scotia is so beautiful this time of year. Fresh air, the crunch of leaves under your boots, and the still sunny (albeit shorter and colder) days. It’s a great time to get outside and explore, provided you’ve put on a few layers! Farmers’ markets are about more than just food, and this is a great time of year to explore beautiful knits and cozy clothing on your market trip. Here are a few reasons to add local wool to your wardrobe this season. Wool is a renewable, natural fibre. French settlers brought the first sheep to Canada in the 1650’s. Wool helps regulate body temperature because it is an absorbent fibre, making it suitable for warm or cool climates. Wool fibres do not easily pill, snag, or break, so wool garments generally outlast synthetics. Wool is the only natural fibre that is resistant to flame. We have a number of wool producers in Nova Scotia, from whom you can purchase yarns, knit wear, and other goods. Many more local artisans work with wool to create beautiful garments. Look for them on your next market trip! Wool facts adapted from Canadian Cooperative Wool Growers Ltd....